Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jerry Rice sits on the bench looking at defensive formation photographs during the third quarter of his team's 23-12 loss to the St. Louis Rams in St. Louis, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2004. Rice had only one reception for nine yards. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) ORG XMIT: STR115 / CHARLES REX ARBOGAST

by Chris Chase, USA TODAY Sports

by Chris Chase, USA TODAY Sports

After Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, we wondered how many professional athletes should have followed his lead? Below are the top 10 athletes who tried to cling on to their careers for too long.

10. Deion Sanders

If the rookie season of Super Bowl commercial sensation Leon Sandcastle is anything like Sanders' final one in Baltimore, it would feature slow coverage in nickel formations and not much else.

9. Gordie Howe

At 70 years old, the hockey legend played one shift in an independent game, becoming the first man to ever play in six decades.

8. Patrick Ewing

You probably remember Ewing from his 15 seasons with the New York Knicks. And you might remember his ill-fated 2001-02 season with the Orlando Magic in which he averaged 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and just 14 minutes per game. But do you remember Ewing's full season with the Seattle SuperSonics in 2000-01?

7. Jerry Rice

No legend should be traded in his final season to a team that puts him behind Darrell Jackson and Koren Robinson on the depth chart.

6. Michael Jordan

When you're as transcendent as Jordan, the glorious heights of your career can make people forget about those embarrassing seasons in Washington.

5. Evander Holyfield

Some non-retirements are hard to watch, as you see an athlete become a shell of his former self. Some non-retirements are hard to watch for entirely different reasons.

4. Roger Clemens

The Rocket first retired way back in 2004, then came back to join the hometown Houston Astros for three seasons (and did surprisingly well for some reason) before going the New York Yankees for 17 middling starts as a 44-year-old.

3. Rickey Henderson

Rickey says Rickey loves baseball, which is why Rickey spent time with various independent teams in the minor leagues before officially retiring in 2007.

2. Brett Favre

Favre's retirement are like the Rocky movies â?? you're not immediately sure how many there were, but you know they got progressively worse.

1. Muhammad Ali

The first comeback â?? from a three-year ban for refusing to serve in the U.S. Army â?? was the greatest in sports history. The second comeback â?? in which he would lose to Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick â?? was less successful.